Just a Little Miracle
by Autobot Lancewing Beta 06
Summary: During a mission, Rocky meet a pup who is down on her luck. As he tries to help her, he begins to develop feelings for her. He'd try to help her find a home, but she has an intense distrust of humans. What's more is that the other members get worried about him as they have no idea what he's doing.
1. Chapter 1

**Just a Little Miracle**

**Chapter 1**

It was a typical day in Adventure Bay. Rocky was cleaning up the litter that was spotted on the beach. He could never understand why people would not just keep the beaches clean, not to mention the fact that most of the trash he found could have been recycled. Some people were so ignorant…

His rig was parked nearby should he need to unload. He had only been out there for half an hour, and he was already panting heavily due to the sun's rays glaring down on him. He could easily jump into the water and he would be cooled off instantly, but his hydrophobia was the only thing that was stopping him. He could take a drink at least, but ocean water was known for being salty. Still, he had to do SOMETHING about this heat. Maybe when he was done he could take a little drive, the lack of a roof might help him cool off.

When Rocky filled the bag that his mechanical arm was holding, he walked back to his rig and loaded the contents of the bag into the back of the garbage truck. When he finished, however, he noticed movement. Curious, Rocky moved over to investigate. He picked an old trash bag out of the way with his mechanical arm- and gasped at what he saw.

Laying before him was a dirty, thin, Australian Shepherd puppy. She looked as if she hadn't eaten in at least a week.

"Uh… Excuse me?" He asked.

The pup looked up at him, then stood up, "Dude, what's up with that metal… thing?"

"Huh? Oh, the arm. It helps me pick up objects that I see lying around."

"Okay… And the vest?"

"That's my uniform."

"Uniform? Are you a member of some group?"

"Yes, actually I am. The PAW Patrol."

"So… You make sure if animals have clean paws?"

After a short laugh, Rocky said, "No, we're here to keep Adventure Bay safe."

"Uh-huh… And you protect them from… trash?"

"I recycle old stuff, even using some stuff myself for a few inventions.

"What kind of inventions?"

"I made a peanut dispenser once. Helped rescue an elephant."

"How?"

"Well… The circus was leaving town and a baby elephant got loose. Unfortunately, her mom got so worried she went after her calf, and I had to lure her to Farmer Umi's barn, where we could keep her safe."

"Did you ever get the elephant back to the circus?"

"We did. But it wasn't easy, I had to keep those elephants from spraying me!"

"But isn't that what they do?"

"Yes, but I kinda have a problem with water."

"You're hydrophobic, huh?"

"Yeah…" Rocky pawed at the ground.

"Well… I think you were brave for doing that."

"Thanks. My name's Rocky by the way."

"I'm Miracle."

"Nice to meet you. So… What are you doing in my truck?"

"Your truck? You drive?"

"Yup."

"Then… how do you do it without hands? That aren't robotic, I mean."

"The controls were made specifically for pups, such as myself, to be able to drive it."

"Oh. Well, to answer your question, I was trying to look for food."

"Wait, you're a stray?"

"Yeah."

"Then why don't you come with me? Ryder will be sure to find you a home."

"Ryder? Who's that?"

"He's our mission coordinator and our leader. Sometimes he helps pups find a home, we can-"

"A home? Like, with humans?"

"Yeah..."

"No thanks."

Rocky was dumbfounded by her answer. "Why not?"

"I just… I don't trust humans."

"Why not?" Rocky cocked his head.

"I just don't. Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Well...okay." The thought crossed Rocky's mind that this poor pup might've been hurt by humans. Those people did exist, after all. The possibility sent a shiver through his spine, especially considering he knew almost everyone in Adventure Bay.

"Well… I had better go, don't want to take any more of your time."

"It's okay. Should we meet up sometime later on?"

Miracle thought about this for a few moments, before she finally nodded, "Can we meet back here tonight? I'm more of a night girl."

"Well…" He's normally asleep during that time, but something told him that she needs help. "Yeah, I think I can work that out."

"Cool, see ya tonight, then."

"See you tonight."

"Oh, and you might want to take a dip in the water; you look like you're burning up."

Rocky's eyes widened. "I… I am?"

"Yeah, your speech seems worn out."

"It… uh, it does?"

She nodded.

"Oh, well, maybe I should get cooled off." Rocky tried to look away from Miracle's green eyes.

"Yeah… Anyway, see you tonight."

"Yeah... See ya."

Rocky backed into his parking space at the base of their headquarters; The Lookout. He hopped out and said, "Rig: House mode." He barked twice and instantly, the garbage truck transformed into a truck-looking doghouse.

"Hey Rocky," Ryder greeted, approaching from behind a wall.

"Hi, Ryder. Where is everyone?"

"_Pup Pup Boogie_ tournament. Wanna watch with me?"

"No thanks... I think I'll take a nap. I'm real tired."

Ryder frowned, "Are you feeling okay, Rocky?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got pretty hot out there."

"Oh, I see. I'll get you something to drink."

"Thanks..." Rocky backed into his doghouse and lay down. He figured that it would be better to get his sleep now; that way, he'd be more awake that night.

After a few moments, Ryder returned with some water. "Here you go, Rocky."

"Thanks..." Rocky tried to smile.

Ryder scratched behind the dog's ear, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"If you need to talk… let me know. Okay?"

"Just yelp for help," Rocky translated with a sideways grin.

Ryder chuckled, "Bingo." With that, Ryder left for the Lookout.

Rocky leaned over the water bowl and lapped up some of the water. It definitely helped to cool down, and at least he couldn't get wet from drinking water, right?

As his mind started to wander, he thought back to Miracle. Yes, there was a bit of irony to her name, and the truth is that anyone could have found her. Question is this: Why him? Why'd he find her? Why not Chase or Zuma? Why him? Was it an accident? Was he meant to find her?

Who was he kidding? He was just overthinking this. Fate was fake; something to tell little pups to keep them from doubting themselves. That was it.

He tried to drift off to sleep, but there was a problem: the sun was shining through his eyes. The sun was _not_ his friend today! He dug around in his doghouse hoping that he could find something to help him. He finally found a black strip of cloth that he could wrap around his eyes like a blindfold.

"Don't lose it; reuse it," he whispered to himself before tying it over his eyes, blocking any light from reaching them.

The sun was out of his eyes, but it was still hot in the doghouse, and his mind kept racing. Miracle; was she okay? What if she got caught by the dog catcher?

Rocky took off the blindfold and thought wearily, 'This is going to take a while.'

The pups were gathered around the screen as Marshall and Zuma were facing off against each other. "No way you'll beat the defending champ, Marshall," Zuma taunted.

"Oh yeah? Well maybe the times come for a new champ!" Marshall sneered.

Chase was still wondering how he had been beaten by Marshall; he usually tail-spun himself out on the second level.

Both pups were tied. But if it remained this way for another ten minutes, it would be declared a draw.

Finally, Marshall tripped and fell on his side. He quickly got up and tried to keep going to see if Zuma would make some sort of mistake. Maybe it would be big enough for Marshall to win, but alas, the lab was on his game, his teeth gritted together as he tried to time his moves perfectly.

Finally, the game ended, and the winner was… Zuma.

"Aww yeah! Two years in a row, dudes!"

"Maybe, but I'd like to see Rocky beat that." Chase pointed out.

"Actually, he's not going to be joining us right now," Ryder said, "He just got back, but he's taking a nap."

"Wait, what?" The German shepard's ears flew up.

"He said he was tired; pretty hot day today. Don't be too worried."

"Okay, but it just isn't like him to… you know…"

Ryder shrugged. "True, but everything's just fine. Don't worry yourself over it."

"Okay… if you say so." Chase didn't look as worried by Ryder's explanation. He'd been sweating even after dunking water over his head, and he wasn't even hydrophobic.

"Soo..." Skye spoke up, "Anyone wanna go to the pool with me?"

Chase's ears perked up, "I would! I would!" he exclaimed, bouncing up.

Everyone stared at Chase oddly.

He noticed the stares and cleared his throat before saying, "I mean… I think that would be a good idea."

"Okay…" Rubble said stepping away from Chase. "I think I'll go too."

"You know I'll want to go, dudes," Zuma added.

Skye giggled, "Anyone else?"

"I think I will," Marshall said, "but I don't really feel right leaving Rocky alone.

"Don't worry; I'll stay behind in case he needs anything," Ryder said.

Marshall sighed, "Okay. I guess I'll go."

"Okay," Skye said before dashing up to her doghouse.

She halted in front of Rocky's doghouse to see him fast asleep, laying on his back and his tongue just slightly lolling out. 'Awww, he's so cute,' She thought to herself, stifling a giggle..

But, unbeknownst to the aviation pup, the happenings in his dream were anything _but _cute.

Rocky found himself at the bank of a river. Not just any river; Adventure River was the one. Rumor had it that it was the roughest in the county, and the roughest meant… the wettest. The banks were steep cliffs that only the toughest pup could surmount.

But that wasn't even the worst part. He found himself facing a terrified Miracle on the other side, yowling for help as a human with a baseball bat closed in on her. A cliff was right behind her, and teetering on top of it were a wobbly tree and a pile of rocks, which dangled precariously on the edge, as if about to fall and possibly crush her.

It was more than Rocky could take, she was a good pup, and she couldn't die! That childish 'fate' seemed to be against her then. Wherever she turned to, she would be hurt. Then there was his own fear to get over: water. Why did it have to be water?

But then, as if to torture him further, he heard Miracle cry out his name! "Rocky! Help!"

That was all he could bear. Without a single thought he bolted across the water, running on top of it. He payed this no mind; Miracle would perish if he slowed down. Just as he arrived on the other side, charging up to the assailant to start, he heard a short, loud squeak as Miracle was hit with the bat.

She crashed up against the cliff, and the tree and rocks started to shake even more, all at once. They started to tumble, and-

Rocky bolted awake, shouting, "AHH!"

He pulled the blindfold off his eyes and realized he was back at the Lookout, in his doghouse. His breaths heaved as adrenaline struggled to wear out. Had that really happened? Was it just a dream?

He took a step forward and felt his left paw touch something wet. He gasped and jumped back. He looked down and saw that it was just his water bowl. He then remembered how Ryder had gotten that water for him earlier, and that he had fallen asleep shortly after...meaning it HAD just been a dream. Miracle was still alive. He breathed a sigh of relief.

_Good, it wasn't real. What time is it getting to be, anyway? _Rocky glanced out at the sky, and he jumped when he realized the moon's position in the sky. _Nine o'clock?! Darn, I'll be late!_

With that, Rocky bolted off into the darkness of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It was still fairly warm, but not as warm as it was earlier, thank goodness. The water irradiated with the night sky. Though there were few people walking on the sand, Miracle was in a corner that was practically surrounded by mangroves not ten feet away from the area she'd had her encounter with Rocky at. Just outside of the little copse of trees was a well-cleaned bench, which she was sitting under.

In about a few minutes, she saw a small, dark figure dashing up to her. She focused her gaze on said figure, and it began to look like Rocky. By the time it was only a few yards away, she could see that it _was _Rocky. A panting Rocky who had sleep in his eyes.

Rocky skidded to a stop just inches away from her. Their noses barely touched he was so close. He backed up a bit and started panting heavily. "Sorry I'm late," he said between breaths, "I guess I lost track of time."

"It's fine, I only got here a few minutes ago."

"Oh. So… um… mind if I sit down?"

"Go 'head." Miracle angled her ears to the spot next to her.

Rocky moved next to her before he sat down. He looked out over the ocean, whose waves just barely lapped the beach. "Wow, that's actually kinda pretty," he thought aloud.

"Yeah... It is."

Rocky's tail started to wag. "So... Were you alright after I left?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Just wondering. Nothing weird?"

"Nope. Just scrounging around, trying to find my next meal, avoid humans. The usual life of a stray."

"Okay, so why don't you have a home?"

"I do."

Rocky tilted his head. "But you said you're a stray."

Miracle nodded. "Yes, my home is the streets and everywhere else I go."

"Doesn't that feel weird? Not having a place to go when you need to?"

"No."

"Okay… What if it rains?"

"I'll find a tarp or something, a blanket if I'm lucky. But what do you do?"

"I just run into my doghouse or the Lookout."

"Uh-huh, what if you're in an emergency?"

"I just push through."

"But ... Don't you hate water?"

"Yeah, but I hate insolvent emergencies more."

"Okay…"

"The only water I like is the water that I drink. It's when it gets me wet that it becomes a problem."

"I see…" Miracle paused for a minute. "So what do you have against water?"

Rocky looked down. "I'd rather not talk about it. But then you said that it was a human that hurt you, right?"

"Yeah… Why?"

"I just wanted to know what they did to you."

"Like you said about your hydrophobia," she growled, "I don't want to talk about it."

"I kinda figured," Rocky said, "but did they abuse you?"

"No, they weren't anything like that."

"Then how did they hurt you?"

Miracle snapped, "It's personal. And why do you have a problem with water?"

"It's personal," Rocky retorted.

Both pups looked away from each other. Miracle's lips were just barely pulled back to show her pointed canine teeth. Rocky's ears were folded back, and he was glaring. Both looked pointedly away from each other.

"So," Miracle said, a good ten minutes later. "You're part of a paw patrol?"

"_The_ PAW Patrol," Rocky corrected.

"What are your patrol members like?"

"Oh, where to begin… Well, there's Chase. He's a police pup, and he likes rules and stuff, so he stops wrongdoers."

Miracle blinked. "What does he look like?"

"Oh, he's a German Shepard. A lot of the time he wears his uniform. Uh, that's like what I was wearing earlier, but it's blue and designed to look like a human police man's."

"Is he strict?"

"Not all the time."

Miracle nodded after a few seconds. "Okay. Chase is an officer… Who else?"

"Marshall. He's a Dalmatian; white with black spots. He's basically the fire pup and the one who constantly sprays me with the hose-"

Miracle interrupted, "That's a mean thing to do…"

"Accidentally," Rocky finished. "He's really clumsy."

"Oh."

"There's also our youngest member, Rubble. He's a bulldog; white and brown. He works construction, and he likes sports. Especially extreme sports like snowboarding."

"Oh. So, is this a guys only thing?"

"No, we've also got Skye, she's the one girl on the team. A cockapoo-"

Miracle laughed, "A what?!"

"A cockapoo. And yes, that's an actual breed."

"Okay… please continue."

" She works aviation and loves to fly. She's also pretty playful, I guess."

"Okay…"

"And last, but not least, there's Zuma. He's a chocolate lab who not only loves water, but that's actually his job. He's basically the lifeguard of the team."

"Makes sense."

"And of course there's... Ryder."

"The human?" Miracle looked doubtful.

"Yes, he's the one who coordinates our missions."

"Ah, like saving the world from garbage?"

"Hey, it takes one bit of litter can cause problems."

"Right…"

Rocky sighed, and pawed at the sand. "But yeah, I have wondered just how valuable I am to the team. I mean, I keep Adventure Bay clean, and I am able to invent things, but other than that, what does it matter? I can't catch outlaws, can't fly, I can't even get over my fear of water." Rocky lay his head down on his front paws and whimpered.

"Well, like you said, just a little bit of litter can cause problems," Miracle replied. "I mean, it can't be that great, picking up trash, but you're still doing a good job."

"Yeah… Just…"

"Even if that didn't do anything, I bet your inventions have saved your group a whole load of times."

"Well, there was this one time that I used one of Zuma's old surf boards to replace a broken windmill blade."

"There ya go, you saved this town once already; bet no one else could've done that. And, think about it this way: in the future, generations of pups can breathe clean air."

"That is true…" He looked up at the sky. "Do you need a place to stay for the night?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"I… I don't want you to get mad at me, but… I want you to try it. At least meet the PAW Patrol."

"Maybe some other time. I'm still not sold on the idea of being around a human."

"Okay. Well, if you need me, just yelp for help."

"Okay. Same time tomorrow?"

"You bet." Rocky smiled.

Miracle smiled back. "Okay. See ya then."

Rocky started to turn away, but…

"Wait, there's one more thing," Miracle said.

"Yes?"

"You have a tick on your neck."

Rocky took his front paw and felt around the back of his neck. He was wearing his collar and he had long fur. There is no way she'd see that, but sure enough, there it was, bulging on the back of his neck clear as day..

He turned to Miracle and asked, "How did you know?"

"I've got an affinity for these types of things. Here."

Without warning, Miracle stood up and lunged at the tick, gripping it between her teeth. She crushed it and looked back at Rocky once she finished. "There. Now it won't bother you." She spit the tick into the salty beach water. "Ciao."

Miracle rushed down the beach. Rocky didn't know why, but he felt hot under his fur, especially where Miracle had gotten the tick. "Wait!" he shouted.

The shepherd's silhouette turned, facing him with a tilted head.

"I'll… see you tomorrow at the same time, right?"

"Uh… yep. Same place too." Miracle made off again.

In just moments, Rocky remembered that they already established that. He looked away blushing before he walked through the sand towards the lookout.

Rocky padded toward his doghouse and curled up. The only thing he could do before his eyes drooped down was check the time. _Ten thirty? Wow, it didn't _feel _like that long… then again, it was kind of far…_

He yawned, warmth clouding his brain. "I can't wait to see her tomorrow… Twenty two hours, Rocky… you can do it…"

In just seconds, his eye became heavy as he succumbed to the silence and darkness of slumber dreaming of what could happen in the future… with Miracle.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The sun was rising over Adventure Bay. Rocky was sleeping in his doghouse peacefully, his tongue rolling out the side of his mouth. Nothing could disrupt such a cute image. Well, anything but…

"Good morning pups, it's time to get up," Chase blared through his megaphone.

Zuma slammed his head on the top of his doghouse nearby. Marshall let out a long, drowsy yawn. Skye instantly got to her paws and was already wide awake. Rubble jumped awake with a start. "What's the emergency, Chase?" he asked immediately, glancing around with his tail in between his legs.

Chase lowered his megaphone. "There's no emergency," Chase answered, "It's just time to get up."

"C'mon, dude, five more minutes?" Zuma pleaded.

"Sorry, but everyone in the PAW Patrol must be ready for any emergency. Justice never sleeps."

"But Rocky does," Zuma pointed out.

Chase marched right up to Rocky's doghouse, megaphone in tow. He put it up to the sleeping mutt's ear. "RISE AND SHINE ROCKY!"

Nothing. Rocky continued to sleep peacefully. He even murmured something along the lines of "Miracle". lines of, "This is a miracle…"

"Okay… Time for plan B." Chase walked over to Rocky's dog bowl, took a spoon, and tapped it onto the rim. Nothing. Chase was .

"He must have really tuckered himself out," Skye remarked with a squeaky giggle.

Chase took a deep breath before walking to Marshall. "Marshall, normally I wouldn't encourage this, but could you get your water cannon and spray him."

"Roger that," Marshall trotted over to the Lookout, and after a few moments, returned wearing his red vest. "Sorry, Rocky…" he murmured under his breath before he barked, and the water cannon came out and did its job.

Unfortunately, the stream of water didn't hit the peacefully sleeping mutt. Instead…

Drenched pups, Rubble and Chase, glared at Marshall.

"Very funny," Chase growled

"Heh, sorry, guys." Marshall adjusted his position and then fired againThis time, he hit nailed his target.

This caused the sleeping pup to suddenly jump up with a sound between a scream and a howl. "MIRACLE!" he shouted.

All of the pups began to look at him. "Not quite yet, dude," Zuma said with an amused chuckle. "Kibble isn't out yet!"

"I'm sorry!" Marshall exclaimed, falling at his paws. "I didn't want to, C-Chase made me do it!"

Chase rolled his eyes, "We had to do SOMETHING."

Rocky looked at Marshall. He was wearing his gear. Water cannon was on. He immediately understood what had happened. "So you thought you'd use water, the thing that I hate, to wake me up? Why not tease me with kibble?" Rocky asked, narrowing his eyes at Chase.

"Tried that."

"Right," Rocky said, doubt in his voice.

"So who's Miracle?" Rubble asked.

"She's nobody," Rocky replied, without thinking.

"Are you sure?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, Miracle was just, uh, a metaphor. I was dreaming about something really, really good when you so rudely woke me up."

"Rocky, you know we have to wake up in the morning."

"By doing that?" Rocky exhaled hard.

"Like I said to Marshall when I ordered him to spray you, I wouldn't normally recommend doing that, but we had no other choice."

Rocky didn't reply for a long time. But when he finally did, he said, "I'm gonna go for a walk."

"What, without _breakfast?!_" Marshall sputtered as Rocky marched out.

Chase walked into the lookout. He could see Ryder was adjusting Skye's jet pack. "Good morning Ryder, sir," he said.

Ryder looked up from his work and smiled. "Hey, Chase. What's up?"

"Rocky is acting strange, sir. He didn't wake up on time."

"He didn't? I was sure that he would have had enough sleep from yesterday."

"Well… It got to the point where I had to have Marshall spray him with the hose."

"And I take it he got you first."

Chase nodded. "And Rubble."

"Okay… Did you try everything else?"

"Megaphone from a distance, teasing him with the dog bowl, and megaphone up close. All of them ending in failure."

"Wow, that _is_ a problem. Maybe something's wrong… I'll talk to him about it."

"Thank you. He's taking a walk right now."

Ryder stood up. "I could use a break from doing this anyway," he said before stretching his arms out. "Tell Skye that her jetpack won't be working for a bit."

"I will." Chase saluted and dashed out of the room. He saw the other pups standing at the door looking at him. Chase was a little surprised, but he cleared his throat and said, "Ryder said that he'd talk to Rocky if you needed to know."

"Of course we needed to know," Rubble said, approaching Chase. "He's our friend too."

"Well, don't worry, the issue will be resolved. Which reminds me… Skye, Ryder is working on your jetpack, and it will be out of commission for a while."

Skye nodded. "As long as Rocky is okay."

"He will be," Chase said while thinking, 'I hope.' He immediately shook it off and said, "Anyway, let's get started on our morning yoga."

"As long as Marshall doesn't do the "snoring dog" again," Zuma said.

"HEY!" Marshall barked before everyone laughed.

"Rocky!" Ryder called, running to catch up with the gray pup. "Rocky!"

Rocky, who had been watching the gentle waves crash up against the beach's shore, looked up. He stood up when he saw the Ryder running up to him. "Ryder?"

When Ryder finally made it to Rocky, he sat next to him. "Nice view, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Good to look at, not so much to jump in…"

"So… Chase said you were acting funny."

"Oh, that. Yeah, I slept in. He said that he 'had' to have Marshall spray me."

"Well… maybe he could've handled it better…"

"Yeah…"

"But why _were _you asleep? It's not like you to sleep in."

"Well… I woke up in the middle of the night."

"Oh… So you had trouble sleeping?"

"I guess it was because of that nap I took. Anyway, I just went for a walk to try to make myself get tired. I guess I overdid it."

"Maybe… The pups said you mentioned a 'miracle'... What were you meaning?"

"Oh. It was just something that was in my dream. It was nothing." Rocky wasn't sure if he should tell Ryder about Miracle.

"Oh… well… Okay…"

"Yeah…"

"Anyway, if you need anything, just yelp for help."

"You got it." Rocky grinned.

"Now, are you hungry?"

Rocky nodded.

"Well then, we'd better get going before an emergency happens."

"You got it. Race you back?"

"Sure thing."

With that, Rocky bolted up and started to run for the Lookout with Ryder following close behind.

Skye walked into the Lookout. She noticed some of the pups were laying around. She also noticed that Ryder has not returned yet. She figured he was still talking to Rocky about what happened this morning. "Does anyone know where Ryder is?" Skye asked.

"I think he's looking for Rocky," Chase said.

"Oh. Then where's Rocky?"

Chase shrugged.

"So... how are you?"

Chase tilted his head, "Pardon?"

Sky repeated, "How _are_ you?"

"...Okay, I guess… Uh… How are you?"

"A little worried, but good."

"Well that's good, I guess."

"So… What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Well...Would you like to go for a walk?"

Chase thought for a minute. "It's better than laying around all day getting fat."

"I guess…"

Chase got up and stretched before turning back to Skye. "So shall we?"

Skye smiled and nodded. But before they could go, Ryder and Rocky jogged in.

Chase asked, "Is everything cleared up, Ryder, sir?"

"I think so," Ryder answered.

"Um… If it's alright, Skye and I are going on a walk."

"That should be fine, Chase. Just keep in mind you'll be on call."

"Got it." With that, both pups walked out of the Lookout.

Chase and Skye walked through the downtown area. School was in session and most people were working, so the streets weren't that crowded. As they walked, Chase noted, "Wonder what he meant by 'miracle'?"

Skye shrugged, "Maybe he wants a miracle?"

"Or maybe he's talking about someone. If so, then I want know who this Miracle is."

"Me too. And find out what he did to Rocky."

"Or she; with a name like Miracle, it's more likely that this guy is a girl."

Chase shrugged.

"Can't we talk about something more… fun?" Skye asked.

"Uh… fun…?"

"Yeah… Like your highest score on Pup Pup Boogey… or… the fastest you've ever gone in your rig or…"

"Hey, I almost beat Alex in that race one time."

"But you didn't," Skye responded.

"True, but we _did_ have good reason."

"Mayor Goodway getting blown away?"

"Oh yeah."

"Well… Maybe we should have a re-match." Skye grinned.

"After all the trouble I went through to get the cones set up? No thank you."

Skye giggled, "That must've been hard."

"It was," Chase laughed, "and we didn't even follow all of them."

"Nope… And it was kinda boring in my helicopter."

"But it was safer."

"Sure, but still. There were those watermelons."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about those. But hey, at least you didn't have to drive someone else's rig."

"Like Zuma?"

Chase scratched the back of his head, "Well yeah, but he's not the only one."

"I know…" Skye smiled at Chase.

"I mean, the basic controls were easy to handle, it was just controlling that bucket that was the problem."

"I could imagine…."

"But with a little instruction, and a little music from the radio…" Chase couldn't hold back a chuckle with that last comment.

"Yeah…"

After a few moments, "I think it's odd that we haven't gotten called in, yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Normally, something goes wrong at this point."

Skye "Hmm"-ed. "You're right. Maybe it's just one of those days."

"Hopefully…"

Rocky walked up to Marshall. "Hey, Marshall?"

Marshall turned to look at him, "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for what happened this morning."

"Uh...That's fine...but … uh… Why?"

"I did let my anger get the best of me. I know I didn't yell at you, but I know you didn't want to do it either."

"Well… You were trying to sleep… So… don't sweat it…"

"Okay…"

Both pups were silent for a moment. Rocky thought that he had said what he needed to say until…

"So what was going on in your dream?"

Rocky tried to play ignorant, "What dream?"

"The one you woke up from yelling 'miracle'."

"Oh… Uh… I don't remember."

"Oh. Well that's too bad."

"Yeah…"

Just as soon as Rocky was about to walk away, Zuma walked up. "Hey dudes. Rubble and I were thinking about playing some volleyball. You wanna join?"

"Sure!" Marshall's tail wagged.

"Yeah, I think I'll join in," Rocky said.

"Awesome!" Zuma led the way to the volleyball court. There, a certain bulldog pup stood there waiting.

"Ready to get your tails whipped?" Rocky slyly grinned.

"Is yours?" Rubble asked.

Rocky looked at Marshall with a grin. "Wanna teach the young gun a lesson?"

"Aww yeah." Marshall smiled.

"Your serve dudes," Zuma said passing the ball to them. He took his place on Rubble's side.

Rocky scooped up the ball with his muzzle before he launched it in the air, and as the ball fell, he hit it with his muzzle.

The ball made its way over the net and was hit by Zuma. The ball flew over the net and approached Rocky. He jumped up and batted it with his paws to the other side.

Rubble managed to hit it with his muzzle sending the ball to Marshall wanted to pull the maneuver. Marshall managed to hit the ball, but he lunged with enough force into the net, tangling himself in it! He squirmed around for a moment, trying desperately to get loose. "Uh… can someone help me?"

Everyone laughed before the trio helped their friend get free. "How do you get in these situations?" Rubble asked, still trying to recover from laughter.

"I guess I'm just lucky," Marshall said.

They all laughed even harder.

Soon, Chase and Skye walked up, though their walk sped to a sprint when they saw the scene. "What happened?" Chase asked.

"Marshall," The three replied, between giggles.

Chase rolled his eyes and tried not to laugh. Skye, however, was giggling.

The two then helped the trio to untangle Marshall. It was a lot harder than the thought it would be, but it wasn't long before Marshall was finally free. "Thanks," Marshall said.

"Don't mention it," Rocky said.

"So… Were you guys playing volleyball when this happened?" Chase asked.

"Pretty much," Rubble answered.

Sky then asked, "Who won?"

Rocky, Zuma, Rubble, and Marshall looked at each other.

"I think Zuma's team would win since Marshall got tangled up," Rocky said, "Oh well. I can still reset it and let you two join in."

"I think that would be nice," Skye said.

"Okay then, just let me get my gear." And with that Rocky darted off. About a minute later, Rocky returned with his backpack. He walked up to the net and said, "Arm," following it with a yip.

The arm deployed from his backpack before it did its job of resetting the net. "There we go. Now, who's on what team?"

Chase thought for a moment before, "I think I'll join Zuma's team," before standing with Zuma and Rubble.

"Then I guess that leaves me with Rocky's," Skye said as she took her place beside Rocky and Marshall.

"Okay then. Chase, you serve first," Rocky said passing the ball to Chase.

Chase took the ball, "Chase is on the case." He grinned, then he served the ball to Marshall.

Marshall hit the ball with his muzzle, sending it to Rubble, who sent it to Skye.

Skye sent the ball to Chase, but much to everyone's surprise, she hit the ball with enough force to cause Chase to miss it!

"Point; Rocky's team," Marshall exclaimed with a yip..

Chase stood up and gave Skye a playful smile. "It's on."

(Author's note.)

Hey guys, Lancewing here, and Notramjet97, PatchTheProdigy, and I just want to thank you all for supporting this story. I'm sure you guys are aware of this by now that there was a comment that was basically criticism for supposedly trying to pair Skye with Rocky. As you can see by chapter two and this chapter, that's obviously not the case. Now, I'm not bothered by this in fact, I'm laughing over this comment, but we just wanted to let you know that it was planned from the beginning to pair Sky with Chase.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After a long day of fun, nighttime came about once again. All of the pups started to make their way to their doghouses, their heads low and their tails drooping from exhaustion. "That was some day," Rubble commented before yawning loudly.

Zuma nodded, having just recovered from a yawn himself. "Yeah," he agreed. "Between the beach trip and that unexpected hike in the mountains…" He tumbled forward onto his nose. It took him a moment to say, "Ouch," in response.

Chase merely shook his head. He had to sympathize with Zuma since he himself was just as tired… but then, everyone was somnolent. Skye was practically asleep on her paws, and even Rocky, who hadn't participated in all of their games, was struggling to keep his eyes open. Maybe it was the heat that was getting to them.

The German shepherd even resigned to the idea of not figuring out who or what the "miracle" was until sometime the next night. Some tears hung in his eyes, begging him to go to sleep. _Keep it going, Chase… fifty more steps…_

Unfortunately, he collapsed where he was, sleep overtaking him on the spot. It wasn't long before the other pups managed to fall asleep… in their doghouses.

ACHOO!

Chase sneezed as the result of a stray seagull feather making contact with his nose. He, now wide awake, looked around and realized that he was still outside under the nighttime sky. When he finally remembered what happened, he thought, _Really? I couldn't hold it together for fifty more steps? _Chase shook his head with disdain at his own weakness.

He got up and started to walk over to his doghouse, but he suddenly noticed that something was off. A bit more thinking and he was sure it was about Rocky's doghouse. The structure itself was fine, but it was what was, or rather wasn't, in the doghouse: Rocky.

At first, Chase's eyes widened with alarm, as his mind ran through all of the possible scenarios. Rocky could be lost. Stolen. Bamboozled by some kind of… _stray…_

_Miracle._

Chase's pace started to speed up as he realized what was going on. Rocky was out of his normal sleeping place, there was some "miracle" thing going on for him, and his normal behavior was off.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two and two together: Rocky was secretly seeing someone. Maybe their name was Miracle. And he'd been dreaming about them.

He narrowed his eyes and crept up to Marshall's doghouse. He put a paw on the Dalmatian's shoulder and shook it roughly. "Marshall!" he hissed.

"Don't rob me! I don't have any pockets!" the Dalmatian shouted before he realized what just happened. "Chase, you scared me half to death!" he hissed, narrowing his blue eyes. "Let me sleep!"

"Marshall, Rocky is missing," Chase retorted in a whisper. "He's doing something to do with the 'miracle,' I'm sure of it."

"He is?"

"I don't know, but I should be able to sniff him out."

"Okay."

"But I'll need you to help me spot him."

"Why?"

"Because there is the chance that he could be spotted outside of the scent trail, or he might cover his scent to keep us off of his back."

"Oh. Okay." Marshall slowly got up and stretched. "Wait. But why would he cover his scent if he didn't know we were following him?"

"Like I said, there is that chance. And he's a paranoid little pup sometimes."

"Oh."

"Now let's go before we lose him." Chase all but charged off.

Marshall bounced after him, calling in a whisper, "Hey, slow down!"

Rocky made his way down to the beach, looking around for Miracle. Alas, there was no sign of her; not even under the bench they'd been under at the last meeting. He looked up at the moon, noticing that he was still fairly early. That was a relief; he did not want to make it a habit to be tardy for the Australian shepherd.

Deciding being seen was not in his best interest, Rocky bounded under the bench before taking a seat as far away as he could from the ocean's waves. He sat there scanning the beach for any sign of Miracle.

Chase was having a hard time picking up Rocky's scent. There were tons of smells that had been left there during the day, and there was even some construction work going on near the Lookout, so some dust was stopping him from doing his magic. That said nothing of all of the other dogs who'd undoubtedly passed through that day, and it wasn't like Marshall was helping much…

"Marshall, cut it out!"

The Dalmatian looked up apologetically from a butterfly he'd been entranced by. "Heh, sorry."

"We need to focus!"

Marshall frowned. "But…" He glanced around the dark surrounding area. All he could see were the shops of the downtown area, the beach which was off in a distance, the nearby trees, the pavement which various vehicles travel on, and the sidewalk on which the pups stood. There was no sign of Rocky or the alleged stray. "It's so cool out here! I don't even remember the last time I was out at night."

Chase, on the other paw, replied, "For all we know, he could be in danger. This is no time for sightseeing."

"But I thought you said he was meeting a miracle-worker."

"I said he was meeting someone named _Miracle," _Chase corrected with an irritated groan. "Or someone he calls Miracle. Who _knows _who this miracle is? It could be someone bad."

"Miracle wouldn't sound like a _miracle_ then," Marshall said. "Why would someone call someone Miracle if they weren't nice?"

"Why would I be named Chase if I wasn't a search and rescue dog?"

"True."

The two pups got going again, but it wasn't ten steps until Chase's nose _finally_ picked up something. With a smile, Chase said, "Got him."

"You're right about our names though," Marshall said. "I ought to start calling you 'Officer'."

Chase gave Marshall an annoyed look. "I would rather be called Chase."

"Or maybe I should call you 'Grump,' because that's what you're being tonight…"

"Let's just GO!

Miracle slowly made her way to the bench. There was no sign of Rocky, which wasn't really a surprise considering that he was late the first night. She started to look for a place to stay hidden for the moment when she heard a "Psst."

She gasped, jumping in a 180 degree angle. "Rocky?" she exclaimed in a hushed voice.

"In the fur," he said, walking out of the shadows, "Got here a little early, so I decided to stay out of sight just in case."

"Good idea, but at least whisper my name next time," Miracle snapped. "It could have been anyone saying 'psst.' _Even_ the dog catcher."

"Oh, right." Rocky lowered his ears sheepishly.

"But now that I know it's you, what're we going to do?"

"I don't really know."

"Well, the talking will get boring after a while, so we need to think of something. We'll think about it tomorrow, though. It's better not to stay up late thinking too much."

"But what're we gonna do?"

"I can show you around the neighborhood, if you want."

"Nah, too many familiar sights."

"But do you know the _stray _spots? The ones that petties don't know about?"

"Petties? Is that what you call pets?"

"Me and other strays."

"Okay... So what all spots are there that other dogs don't know about?"

"Oh there are plenty, but first... I want you to swear that you'll never tell anyone."

Chase and Marshall finally found Rocky. They were able to hear some female dog tell Rocky that he must be sworn into secrecy. They didn't, however, hear what it was exactly.

The two pups both watched intently as an Australian shepherd spoke to their mutt friend. Rocky was giving her a perplexed look. "Okay, well how DO I promise?"

"What are they doing?" Marshall asked in a whisper.

"It looks like she's making him vow an oath," Chase answered. His lips were curled in the beginnings of a snarl. "We have to stop him before he promises whatever it is."

"What if it's something good?"

"He's already sneaking out to see this dog and masking his scent to throw us off. She must be trying to trick him into quitting the PAW Patrol; you never know with these _stray _types."

"You don't know that."

"But my dad does, and he said that he lost members in his squad that way. We can't let this happen."

"Raise your right paw," Miracle said to Rocky.

Rocky obeyed hesitantly.

"I, state your name."

"We have to stop him now! On the count of three…"

"I, state your name."

That caused Miracle to giggle. "I meant for you to say your name."

"One…"

"Oh. Sorry," Rocky blushed. "I, Rocky."

"Two…" Chase and Marshall's muscles tensed under their coats.

"Promise to keep secret-"

"Three!"

Marshall and Chase lunged out of their leafy cover. "Freeze! You're under arrest!" Chase yowled.

"For what?!" Miracle asked. Her lips curled back in a snarl, and she spread her paws wide in battle stance. Who were those strangers?

Rocky took his right paw and facepawed.

"Rocky, it's us!" Marshall exclaimed. "Marshall and Chase!"

"I know," Rocky retorted flatly, not removing his paw from his face. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're here to rescue you from that vile, vile villain!" Chase yipped, growling at Miracle.

"Vile villain?! What crime have I committed, _Officer_?!"

"That should have been his name, but it's not," Marshall snapped. "He prefers Chase."

"Be quiet Marshall! We're arresting this criminal!"

"Oh, right."

"For what?" Both Rocky and Miracle asked.

"For attempting to corrupt a member of the PAW Patrol." Chase snarled.

Rocky and Miracle stopped and looked at each other. There was a brief moment of silence before they both burst into laughter.

"What are you laughing at?!" Chase demanded. "These paws uphold the laws!"

Marshall burst into laughter.

"Yes, but what all did you actually hear?" Rocky asked, grinning as he held back the urge to laugh more.

"She was making you promise somethin- Stop laughing, Marshall! And you were going to do it! She was going to make you leave the PAW Patrol!"

Rocky laughed even harder. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not leaving the PAW Patrol."

Chase blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, all she was doing was swearing me into secrecy so she could show me some new spots that only the strays know about. Why would I want to leave?"

"Because we squirted you with water this morning to get you up," Marshall chirped.

"Well, that was annoying, but not enough to make me leave."

"They _squirted you with water _to get you up?" Miracle echoed incredulously.

"Well, I DID sleep in a little late, and they DID try everything."

"Oh... Sorry. Guess I had you up too late."

"Uh… so, this dog was just going to show you a few things?"

"Yep, that was all she was going to do until you two pounced at her."

"Oh! Uh… then, my apologies, ma'am." Chase cleared his throat and glanced down at his paws awkwardly.

"You can just call me Miracle. That's my name."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that when Rocky blurted it out when we woke him."

"You were dreaming about me?" Miracle asked Rocky, smiling a touch mischievously.

Rocky's eyes widened, and he was sure he turned red under his coat. "I never said that," he quickly replied.

Miracle chuckled. "I dreamed about you, you know."

"Y- You did?"

"Yeah." She smiled just a touch shyly. "I don't remember anything else, though."

"Oh. Well, I guess I can't say much there... But I can say that it was the second one that was good. The first one..." Rocky took a breath. "Something was about to happen to you."

"Oh?" Miracle's smile started to fade.

"I guess it was built up from the concern that I had for you at the time, but... You were caught between a human with a baseball bat and this cliff face. And an avalanche of rocks was about to crush you, but you couldn't run without the human hurting you." Rocky's neck fur stood on end. "It was a horrible dream…"

"I bet, but what happened to me hurts more than a baseball bat and an avalanche."

"If it did, why don't you yelp for help?" Chase asked, frowning. "It sounds like something bad happened. Ryder would know how to fix it."

"Yeah... About that..." Rocky started, "She..."

"I don't trust humans," Miracle said, "Not after what my previous owners did to me."

"Previous owners?" Chase and Rocky asked in unison.

Miracle nodded. "But I don't want to talk about it."

"Of course not," Chase agreed. "Um…"

Marshall yawned. "I'm tired."

"Yeah, I think I better get going before I end up sleeping right here," Chase added, remembering with shame what had happened earlier. "Rocky, will you be fine to come home alone later, or do you want to join us?"

Rocky glanced between his fellow PAW Patrol members and Miracle before responding, "I think I'll check out the stray secrets with Miracle. You guys go on ahead."

"Okay. Just don't stay out too late."

"Don't remind me. I don't want a repeat of this morning. Just the thought of it," Rocky said before shuddering.

"Okay then. We'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, see ya then."

With that, Chase and Marshall made their way back to the Lookout while Rocky walked back to Miracle. "Now, where were we?"

"You were about to be sworn to secrecy," Miracle answered.

"Right." Rocky raised his right paw.

"I, state your name," Miracle started.

"I, Rocky…"

"...Promise to keep secret the sights that are known only to strays."

"...Promise to keep secret the sights that are known only to strays."

"Never am I to tell any pets…"

"Never am I to tell any pets..."

"...Or humans..."

"...Or humans..."

"...About what I see tonight."

"...About what I see tonight."

"If I should break this oath..."

"If I should break this oath..."

"...May the dog catcher take me away."

"...May the dog catcher take me away."

"It is done," Miracle finished.

"It is done," Rocky repeated before both pups laughed.

"So, shall we?"

"That we shall."

Both pups then walked into the night, ready for the new sights that awaited them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Chase woke up to water being splashed in his face. "Huh?!"

He was very surprised to see an apologetic Marshall, a giggling Skye, a smirking Rocky, and a concerned Ryder. "What's going on?"

"You were still asleep," Ryder answered.

"And we tried everything we could to wake you up," Rocky added.

"Oh." Chase ducked his head a bit shamefully. Should he tell everyone what Rocky had been up to? But how would he and Miracle react if he did? "Thanks."

"Why weren't you up already?" Zuma asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I woke up in the middle in the night and saw that Rocky was missing. When I went to look for him, I found out that he was just going out for a walk." Well, it wasn't a _total _lie. As a matter of fact, that was pretty truthful. The only thing he left out was that Rocky was meeting with Miracle. That and the fact that he fell asleep before he could reach his doghouse. But telling the truth about that would make him a laughing stock.

"Yeah. I like the smell of the town at night," Rocky added. "Oh, and you should have seen your face when Marshall squirted you."

Chase glared at Rocky, but looked away. After all, Chase gave Marshall the order to spray the mutt. It was only fair, right?

"It doesn't matter. Did I miss breakfast?" Chase stretched out and yawned before getting to his paws.

"No," Ryder said, "but you're normally up around this time, so we figured that something happened."

"It was just a walk with Rocky," Chase assured him. "So, when's breakfast?"

"I was just about to serve it when I was told that you were still asleep."

"Okay then. Well, I'm ready when are Ryder, sir."

"Okay then, let's get-" Just then, Ryder's tablet went off. He took the tablet and answered, "Ryder here."

"Hey Ryder," Alex said, "I just saw this strange dog."

"Oh?"

"It must have been a stray or something; it was mean to me!"

Rocky's, Chase's, and Marshall's ears perked up. He couldn't be referring to… Miracle, could he?

Ryder nodded definitively. "Alright, not to worry. Where are you?"

"Down by the cupcake shop on Main Street."

"Okay. We'll be right over." He slid a second layer out from under the tablet and was about to press the red button that would call all of the PAW Patrol members before looking up. Everyone was present with alarmed looks on their faces.

"Um... Pups, to the Lookout," Ryder said, blushing sheepishly. "So much for breakfast…"

All of the pups took off towards the Lookout, a few of them giving affirming barks. Chase even exclaimed, "Right on it, sir!"

Skye was the first one in the elevator, followed by Zuma, Rubble, Chase, and Rocky. Marshall jumped in last, but for once didn't knock everyone else over, instead tripping over his paws and landing on his own face.

"Ow..." Marshall groaned before, "When was the last time we sweeped here?"

"I think that was last week, dude," Zuma answered with a short giggle.

"Aw no…"

As Marshall jumped to his paws, the elevator went up higher and higher. Rocky looked out over Main Street, hoping that his gut feeling was wrong. After all, it could have been another stray, right?

_Please let me be wrong_, Rocky thought.

Once the elevator reached the midway point, all of the pups got into their gear before the elevator continued on its way up.

Once there, all six pups jumped out of the elevator and lined up.

"Ready for action Ryder, Sir," Chase barked.

"Pups, there was a stray spotted in Main Street. We need to pinpoint him and get him to the animal shelter fast."

Ryder scanned through his tablet and pulled up Chase's badge. "Chase, I'll need you to look for any unfamiliar scents. Any of those scents could be the stray."

Chase barked, "Chase is on the case."

Ryder swiped his finger on his tablet once more, displaying Rocky's badge. "Rocky, I'll need you to help Chase look for him. You know your way around here as well as any of us."

"Green means go," Rocky barked.

Ryder swiped the tablet one final time to show Skye's badge. "Skye, I'll need you to help search for the stray from the air."

"This pup's gonna fly," Skye barked.

"Everyone else, be prepared to be called out to help look."

The other pups saluted, nodded their heads, or barked, "Roger that Ryder!"

"PAW Patrol is on a roll!" Ryder raced over to the fire pole and slid down it.

Meanwhile, the pups who'd been called out dashed up to the slide and jumped down one-by-one. Chase slid off of the slide and landed on his doghouse. The doghouse then transformed into Chase's police rig before he sped off. Next came Rocky, who landed on his doghouse, causing it to transform into his garbage truck before he drove off. Finally, Skye landed in her doghouse, causing it to transform into a helicopter. Skye then took to the skies.

Ryder drove out of the Lookout on his ATV, and drove ahead of the pups in their vehicles down to Main Street. All the while, Rocky frowned, looking deeply concerned. He wasn't even sure whether he wanted it to be Miracle or not… either way, he was begging for the opposite.

Alex was waiting on Main Street for the PAW Patrol to arrive. He trembled as he stared at the trash can that the stray had knocked over a minute ago. It had growled at him when he tried to pet it! It could have attacked him if he succeeded!

Luckily, though, he could hear the sound of Chase's police siren wailing, and soon enough, he could see a group with a helicopter over it racing across the bridge. It wasn't long before they parked right next to him.

"PAW Patrol! Ryder!" he shouted, running up to them and waving his arms.

Ryder took off his helmet. "Hey Alex. So… what was this about a stray?"

"It was a stray alright! It growled at me!"

"Okay. Can you tell me what it looked like?"

"It had spots. Big, black spots, and white paws. And it looked so soft!"

Rocky and Chase thought at the same time, _Miracle._

"Alright then." Ryder marched up to the trash can that was toppled over, the three pups and Alex following behind them. Chase sniffed the area around the trashcan, dreading what he was about to find. Unfortunately, the scents of the dog he smelled and that of Miracle were one and the same. 'Oh no,' Chase thought.

"Where did it go?" Ryder asked Chase.

The German shepherd gulped. "Uh…" Should he tell Ryder? Shouldn't he? He was an… uh, reasonable superior officer… and a good friend. But then he needed to do his job. After all, she did growl at Alex. But she doesn't trust humans. What if Miracle accidentally hurt Ryder, or Ryder determined that she had to be fixed?

"Take to the skies, Skye," Ryder directed.

"On it!" the cockapoo exclaimed, leaping into her helicopter. Within seconds, she was soaring away, shouting, "Let's take to the skies!"

"Well, Chase? Anything at all?"

Chase wasn't sure what to tell Ryder, but he reluctantly nodded. Ryder wasn't only a superior officer; he was a friend who would be fair enough. He started walking in the path of the scent.

Rocky didn't really like Chase's decision to follow Miracle, but if they didn't then something worse could happen. Besides, maybe he can show Miracle what humans are really like. After all, nothing worse could happen, right?

While walking through the alley, Chase's ears picked up the sound of a garbage can falling over, undoubtedly outside of Ryder's hearing range. "Ryder, I heard a trash can."

"Think it's him?"

"Her," Rocky said.

Ryder looked at Rocky. "Her?"

Rocky took a breath, "And before we get to this stray, there's something you need to know."

"What is it?"

Rock took a deep breath and said, "I've been seeing this stray for two nights now."

Ryder frowned, "Pardon?"

"This stray is my friend," Rocky replied. "H-Her name is Miracle."

"Wh- Oh, so THAT'S why you've been so sleepy lately."

"Yeah… And I wanted to let you know about her, but… she doesn't trust humans, which explains why she snapped at Alex."

"She's not a bad pup, though," Chase added. "I met her last night when I followed Rocky to make sure he was okay. He was walking with her."

"That explains why you slept in a little late too. It explains a lot actually." Ryder smiled. "I'm glad to know that I can cancel that appointment with Mrs. True."

Both pups batted an eye at the mention of their vet.

"Alright." Ryder nodded. "Thank you guys for coming clean."

"Thank you for understanding," Rocky said.

"But the next time this happens, please let me know before it all comes to this."

"We will Ryder, Sir," Chase said.

"Good. Now let's-"

"If you don't mind, I want to get her myself," Rocky said, "She'll trust me."

Ryder nodded before Rocky walked toward the trashcan. When he rounded the trashcan to find Miracle… with a splint and some cloths wrapped around her leg? "Rocky…" She muttered.

"Miracle… What happened?"

"A human tried to grab me, but I gave him a brief warning before I took off. Unfortunately, I stepped in a hole and fractured my leg, which is why you see the splint and cloth."

"Wow… How long have you been able to do that?"

"I pretty much learned how to take care of myself ever since I was on the street."

"How many other injuries can you work with?"

"Broken bones, twisted ankles, bruises, cuts, bug bites, the list goes on."

Rocky chuckled, "That's awesome." Unfortunately, he knew that there was the unpleasant business of telling her. "Miracle, that human you… um… warned? He alerted the PAW Patrol and…"

"'And?'"

There was no easy way to tell her, but he has to tell her now. "I'm under orders to take you to the shelter."

Miracle's eyes widened. "Wh- What?!"

"I'm sorry, but you need your leg checked out by an expert."

"No! It's perfectly fine! Besides, I can't deal with humans again! Not after what my previous owners did to me!"

"What did they do? You can tell me."

"They abandoned me!"

Rocky stopped in his tracks. "Are you sure? They didn't just go on vacation, did they?"

Miracle looked down. Tears were forming in her eyes. "I was seven months old when this happened. I was adopted by these nice two humans. They loved me, tended to all of my needs, trained me, did everything a good dog owner would. Then one day they packed up all of their stuff, put a "For Sale" sign up in their front lawn, and left, leaving their seven month old puppy… They leave her… wondering what she did wrong…"

Rocky wasn't sure what to say, he'd heard stories about things like this, but… This was an all-new low for him.

"But I guess I can't run forever… Didn't think it would end like this."

"What will end?"

"You know those stories. If I don't get adopted, they'll put me to sleep."

"No!" Rocky suddenly shouted, "They WOULD NOT do that. And if they did, they'd have to get past me."

"But you're just a pup. What could you do?"

"You know what our motto is?"

"Don't lose it; reuse it?"

Rocky laughed, "That's my line. The motto is 'No job is too big; no pup is too small'."

"And what would I do for you guys? You don't need anyone else."

"Actually…" Rocky looked over the splint. "With professional equipment, you'd make a good vet… Except you're a dog…"

"But...it CAN'T be easy to add a new member."

"Well, as long as you can help in Adventure Bay, I think anyone's welcome to join, but I better talk to Ryder first."

Miracle paused, before, "...Stay with me…"

"Trust me, if you can join, you'll be with me all you want."

"But… That human…"

"I know it sounds a little much to trust them after what your owners did to you, but you can't let a couple of bad apples spoil the whole basket."

"I...I…"

"Haven't you ever met a bad dog?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Every species, dog, cat, bird, bat, and human has a few bad apples, but you can't turn away all the ones who are good."

"I...guess… Just...please stay?"

"I'll be by your side the whole time."

"Okay… Um...Rocky?"

"Yeah?"

Miracle cleared her throat, "Y-you're the first...anyone...I've ever felt safe around."

"I- I am?"

Miracle nodded, "You're nice, smart, a nice sense of humor… I just...feel safe with you."

Rocky was looking into space at this point. Did she really say that she felt safe around him? He couldn't even protect her in his dream. He can't even face his fear of water. How could he keep her safe? Still, there was no time to seek an answer to that question because there was still the matter of Miracle's leg.

Rocky walked around the trashcan and called Chase and Ryder over before returning to Miracle. "They'll be over in a second."

Miracle took a deep breath, "Okay. Man this hurts…"

"Just relax. We'll get that leg checked out soon."

Miracle nodded.

In just seconds, Chase was standing right next to Rocky. The first thing he noticed was the leg. "What happened to her leg?" he asked.

"Broken. She actually put the splint on herself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, this is how I found her."

"How did you know how to do that?"

"It's just something I learned while on the streets," Miracle answered.

"That's actually not bad."

"Well, I don't really have hands…"

"Still… Imagine what you could do with professional equipment."

She shrugged.

Just then, Ryder was seen behind Chase. Miracle growled by instinct, but Rocky nuzzled her in a reassuring manner. "It's okay," He whispered.

Miracle calmed a bit, but continued to glare at Ryder.

"So you're this Miracle Rocky mentioned," Ryder said.

Miracle didn't respond.

"My name's Ryder. It's nice to finally meet you."

Miracle swallowed, but still couldn't say anything.

Ryder looked at her leg. "Did Rocky put this splint on you?"

"No," she finally said, "I tied it on myself."

"You did a good job," Ryder smiled, "Were you by yourself?"

"Yes. My humans abandoned me."

"I'm sorry… It must be awful."

"You have no idea…"

"Actually, a some of the PAW Patrol members were strays at one point."

Miracle frowned, "Really?"

"Actually, he's not that far off," Rocky said, "I'll tell you later though."

Miracle sighed before, "Alright, let's get moving, but do I have to be carried by _him_?"

"Just for a second, I'll drive you the rest of the way," Rocky said, "And no, you cannot ride in the back; too dangerous."

"Then...where can I ride?"

"Next to me."

"Okay..." She climbed into Rocky's rig, allowing Rocky to get in front of her.

"Nice view, isn't it?" Rocky asked.

"I guess..."

"And you'll especially like it when I start driving."

"Neat... Do you drive really fast?"

"If I have to. I have to stay within the speed limit otherwise."

"Do you have to now?"

"Okay."

"But I don't really need to go too fast in order to get a good enough breeze."

"Cool..."

With that, Rocky started to drive into the street. Already, Miracle was liking the breeze on her face. It definitely beats the heat.

"How long have you been doing this?" Miracle asked.

"Ever since I joined the team when I was ten months old."

"Oh, so a few months?"

"Pretty much."

"Okay… So how did you join the team?"

"Well, do you remember when Ryder said that some of the members were strays?"

"Yeah, we're you?"

Rocky nodded. "I was actually born a stray. Had good parents, but no brothers or sisters."

"Oh...where are your parents?"

Now it was Rocky's turn for tears. "Do you remember that flood in Adventure Bay?"

"Yeah, that caused quite a mess."

"Well, my parents were swept away from the flood. I went to look for them, but…"

"You couldn't?"

"I wish more than anything that I could say that, but I saw them in the middle of a forest… laying there lifeless. They died trying to save me from the flood."

"...And _that's _why you're afraid of water..."

He nodded. "Every time I touch water, except to drink, I think about that day, thinking that it could have been me. Never before did I see that side of water."

"I'm so sorry..."

"Wasn't your fault..." Rocky sighed, "It's just one of those things."

"Like my fear of humans?" Miracle asked.

"Yeah… And… I kinda feel weak compared to you to be honest."

"Why? You're a very brave pup."

"Except for when I get into water. I can't even get into a bathtub that easily."

"Well...maybe I can help you."

"And in return, I help you?"

"I-I don't know..."

"Hey, if you're accepted into the PAW Patrol, then you will be helping humans."

"I tell you what. _If _I get in, it's a deal."

"Alright. I'd say 'shake on it,' but I need both paws to drive."

"So how did you get into the PAW Patrol?"

"I just wandered the streets like you did and I noticed all this trash, so I began to help clean it up, even using the trash to repair damages. That's when Ryder noticed me. He saw that I was doing a good job and invited me to join the team."

"And here you are now."

"Yep… Here I am."

"So was Chase a stray too?"

"No, but I'll get into that story later."

"Okay."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Chase, Rocky, Skye, and Ryder sat at the vet's office waiting for Katie to finish examining Miracle. Rocky paced around anxiously, occasionally whimpering and looking at the door with scared brown eyes.

"It's okay Rocky. Everything will be okay," Ryder assured him.

"I know," Rocky said, "I mean, she did a really good job with that splint. I just don't want her to end up… there…"

Ryder nodded, comprehending. "Yeah. You care a lot about her, Rocky, and that's enough reason for me to do everything I can to help her."

"Thanks Ryder. I do have a question though."

"What is it, Rocky?"

"Miracle said that she felt safe around me. Would you believe her?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

"For one, my job is cleaning up Adventure Bay, which is no problem, but then I can't get in the water."

"True, but think about what you are able to do."

"That being?"

"Well, you're smart, not to mention creative."

"Every pup has some smarts and creativity. And besides, what about that would make her feel safe?"

"Being around pups you can grow to like is even better than being around a big, strong pup you… well, can't."

"True…"

"Not to mention you were clever in covering your tracks," Chase added, "Marshall and I had a field day tracking you."

"Wait, Marshall went with you?" Ryder asked.

"Yeah, I needed an extra set of eyes, so he knows too."

"Does anyone else know?"

"No, Chase and Marshall are the only ones who know," Rocky said before he heard Skye clear her throat. "Oh, and Skye because she just now learned of her."

"Naturally," Skye replied. "I hope she's okay."

"Me too…" Rocky replied before he let out a loud whine.

After about another few minutes, Katie finally walked out. "Miracle's leg is fine,"

"YES!" Rocky barked loudly.

All the other pups jumped to their paws, and we're also eager to hear about Miracle's recovery.

"How's she doing now?"

"Well, she's still a little sore, but I put her on some painkillers, so she shouldn't be sore for long. Had she not put that splint on when she did, her leg would have been worse."

"Well… she seems like a pretty smart pup."

"She is… but… she doesn't seem to like people that much."

"Yeah… Her previous owners left her behind."

Katie clasped her hand over her mouth, "That's awful!"

"I know. I mean, when she said that her owners did something terrible to her, I didn't think it was something like this."

"Certainly explains why she doesn't like humans."

"But I did agree to help her with that…. While she helps me with my fear of water." Rocky brought up.

"She will?"

"Yeah, I mean, if I'm gonna help her with her fear, then might as well get help with mine."

"I see your point, but just try and take it easy."

"Okay. Can I see her?"

"In a bit, I want to leave her alone for a now."

"Okay. Oh, and she said that she works with other injuries."

"Like what?" Ryder asked.

"Cuts, bruises, broken bones… I can't remember everything."

"Hmm…"

"Do you happen to have a position for that?"

"Actually, I want to show you something as soon as we get Miracle out of there."

"Okay… What is it?"

"You'll see."

Miracle laid there on the metal table, something she never did in a long while. It all smelled weird, not just the human smell, but in addition to that, there was also the smell of medicine, chemicals, and plastic gloves.

It felt like she was in a laboratory, except it looked more like a doctor's office. It's not that she's never been to a veterinary clinic at all, but she hasn't been to one in a long time. She couldn't even remember the last time she was at the vet, might've been before her owners...

She shook her head. She did not want to remember them, not after what they did to her.

She started to curl up when she heard the door open. She glanced over at the door, but couldn't see anyone.

"Miracle?"

_Rocky? _Miracle stopped curling up in favor of peering over the metal table. "Rocky!" She could barely contain her excitement at seeing him at an unfriendly place like this.

"Hey, take it easy. Don't want to hurt that leg again."

"Don't remind me. "

"...Yeah… it really scared me."

"That's sweet, but I could've hand

Miracle lowered her head. "So, what's my fate?"

"Well, I asked Ryder if there was a position for you… and he said that he wanted to show me something."

Miracle tilted her head. "Huh, wonder what that could be…"

"But it is likely that you won't have to go to the shelter."

Miracle shifted, as if she were about to leap off of the table, but instead settled for a merry bark. "Yes! Thanks, Rocky!"

"You're welcome," Rocky replied, "Looks like we won't have to meet at night anymore."

Miracle shrugged, "I kinda liked being with you at night, I had something to look forward to each day."

"I did too, but we can't do that too often, unless you want me to sleep during the day. Besides, you'll be with me every day.

"True, it's nice to be with someone you like..."

"Yeah, and I kinda like you…" Rocky immediately blushed at what he just said. _Oh no… don't pick up on it..._

"Oh? In what way?" Miracle's ears bounced up.

"Oh… Um… Well…"

"Do you like me like a friend?" She lay down and scooted forward.

"W-well..."

"Like a sister?"

"Or..." She scooted even closer, then without warning- kissed Rocky's forehead.

Rocky was now as red as Marshall's rig underneath his fur. She actually kissed him! It wasn't direct, but she still kissed him!

"Is that what you had in mind?" Miracle asked, smiling.

Rocky shyly nodded.

"Well, I have something to tell you…" She leaned over his ear and whispered, "I like you too."

Rocky's tail started to wag. "R-Really?"

"Sure. And it's that way too, if you didn't already realize that."

"I guess so... You're just such an amazing pup… I feel bad for all the guys that can't have you."

"Don't be. They wouldn't have amounted to anything compared to you."

"Are you sure? Because Chase would have been a good choice."

"Nah, too serious."

"I heard that!" Chase barked from outside.

Rocky's face grew even more red; if he'd heard that, he'd heard the things they were telling each other.

"Hey Marshall," Rocky heard Chase call out, "Ever been to Goodway Creek? It's a real nice place to talk and be alone."

"Uh… no… but why are you telling me? Why don't you tell Rocky and Miracle?"

Rocky looked over at Miracle. "Just wait until Chase starts dating," Rocky said.

"Heard that too!"

"You were meant to!"

Miracle giggled while Rocky smiled. This day might've started out poorly, but in the end, it was worth it.

All of the PAW Patrol members were waiting at the Lookout. It wasn't until the sunset was casting its orange glow over Adventure Bay that Rocky, Miracle and the others had gotten back. Immediately when they got back, Ryder walked over to the elevator with all of the pups on board. The doors closed, but instead of going up, the elevator travelled downward.

"So what's down there?" Rocky asked.

"You'll see," Ryder said.

The elevator immediately dinged, letting the team know that they have reached their stop in a dark room with lights lighting the walls, but not going beyond that. Ryder walked into the room with the other pups following and pressed a button somewhere, causing bright spotlights to shine down, revealing a hanger that stored what looked like a lot of rigs, similar to the ones the PAW Patrol members used. Some of the rigs were designed after jeeps, helicopters, even drill tanks. There were even variations of the rigs that were already being used.

Everyone sat there awestruck. "Wow… Is there anything that we don't have?" Rubble asked.

"Nothing military," Ryder answered, "but these will get the job done." He started searching through the hanger looking for one rig in particular. "Where is it? I know it was somewhere in this section."

He continued flipping through the different rigs on a remote. The pups all "oohed" and "aahed" at the different types. Just Miracle sat there, staring at each one that passed. _Which one will be mine?_

Finally, Ryder stopped with a white rig that was modeled after an ambulance. It was simple, yet close to an ordinary ambulance, save for the open cockpit. There was a hood in the back that could have held all kinds of different medical supplies as well as transport for any injured pups. One touch that had her confused was the word "AMBULANCE" that was painted on the front backwards.

"Uh… Why is 'ambulance' painted on backwards?" Marshall asked, apparently having read Miracle's mind.

"It'll be easier for people to read from their rearview mirrors," Ryder explained in response..

"Oh."

"So what do you think, Miracle?"

Miracle hobbled over to it and closely examined it. "It looks amazing."

"Glad you like it," Ryder said, "Although, you will need to learn how to drive it. Rocky?"

"Yes?" Rocky said, knowing what was about to be said.

"The controls in this rig is similar to yours. Do you think you can help her?"

Rocky barked loudly, "Yes!"

All of the other pups giggled at Rocky's response. He sank down a bit self-consciously. Miracle just grinned.

"Alright. And with the rig…" Ryder dug into the ambulance and pulled out a uniform and a backpack. "Come these."

"Whoa… They look pretty nice."

"And the backpack will have mechanical arms similar to Rocky's but these will be used with medical tools that will be stored in the pockets."

"Nice."

"And there is one more thing, just to keep you from getting confused for a stray." Ryder reached onto one of the uniform pockets and pulled out a white and pink collar. The badge was silver like all of the others, but this one was white with a red cross and a caduceus printed over the cross. "Welcome to the PAW Patrol, Miracle," he said as he put the collar around her neck.

As Ryder put the new object around her neck, a new sensation poured over her. A feeling of belonging and acceptance that she'd never felt as a stray before. True, she would need some time to adjust to the thought of helping humans, she was with other pups that she could trust, one pup in particular that she loves, and she had a place where she truly belonged.


	7. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Two months have passed since Miracle had been accepted into the team. It took about a few weeks for her leg to heal before she was able to be properly trained to handle rescue missions and to drive her rig, but she had settled in nicely and was becoming a good team player. She still had her moments where she absolutely feared humans during missions, but she also found an overwhelming urge to help anyone who was injured, even if it was just a kid who had scraped his knee. There was no doubt that she was meant for this job.

"Catch, Marshall!" Miracle yelled. She picked up the frisbee at her paws and hurled it at the fire pup with all of her muscle.

"I got it," Marshall yelled, "I got it! I- Oof!" Suddenly, Marshall slammed into a tree. "Ow…"

All the pups rushed to Marshall, "Are you okay?" Skye asked.

"I think so," Marshall answered.

Miracle narrowed her eyes and inspected the spot on his head where he'd bumped the tree.

"Seriously, Miracle, I got injured all the time before you got here," the Dalmatian said as Miracle ran her paw tenderly across the lesion.

"Well it's a good thing you never knocked yourself out," Miracle answered. "Take a short break and tell me if you feel nauseated, dizzy, or you see double."

"Okay, I will."

As Marshall walked away, Rocky approached Miracle, a grin on his face. "Nice job Miracle. I always tried to tell him that, but he doesn't listen."

The pair shared a laugh.

"I think I'm gonna go in, too," Rubble yawned, "I'm tired."

"Okay. Have a good rest," Rocky said before his, Miracle's and Rubble's tags went off.

Ryder's voice could be heard through their tags. "PAW Patrol, to the Lookout!"

"Nooooo!" Rubble cried out, falling to the ground dramatically.

Rocky and Miracle laughed, then ran towards the Lookout, with Zuma following close behind (he'd been playing in the sprinkler) to see what the emergency was.

"Chase!" Skye called out, "Chase! Ryder needs us!"

Skye sniffed the air; it kinda smelled like Chase, a little different, maybe, but he hadn't had a bath in a week or so. "Chase?"

A pair of eyes glared at her from the shadowy bush behind her, though she didn't notice them. "Chase, come on! This is serious!"

The German Shepherd suddenly ran up from ahead of her, cocking his head. "Come on Skye. Ryder needs us."

"But… how…?" Skye glanced between Chase and behind her, still not catching the eyes glaring at her, screaming for bloody murder.

"Let's go Skye!" Chase motioned towards the Lookout with his head.

"Uh… coming Ryder!" she exclaimed, before rushing in the direction of the Lookout.

A deep, gravely voice noted quietly, "I finally found you, brother..."


End file.
